Sometimes & Always

Today I have decided to link up with Mackey Madness for Sometimes & Always.


Sometimes: I try random things...like blogging and linking up :)

Always: I have fun trying new and random things!

Sometimes: I wonder how I will survive my child growing up and the challenges he presents to me.
Always: I love watching him grow and learn.

Sometimes: I watch endless hours of Comedy Central because my hubs has the computer AND remote in his control.
Always: I have my phone handy for entertaining me.

Sometimes: I wonder about the "what if's" and "what would have been's".
Always: I remember God has a plan for us and everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes: I am jealous of stay at home moms.
Always: I remember that I work to help provide for my family and still am the best mom I can be for Carson.

Friday Free for All!

Well it's Friday and what a week it has been! Yet it's far from over! This weekend our little town has it's little celebration of freedom. I am on the committee for it, so I will basically be living there after 2pm today until 10am Sunday. Today's free for all will probably be short and sweet due to this. Don't hate haha!

Work- Well as you can tell I haven't blogged all week. Not because I was ignoring it, but rather because I had to internet/computer where I was for work. I spent 4 days in Chicago learning emergency preparedness :). I flew from our small local airport to O'Hare on a 10 passenger plane, thinking I would die when we landed (there was a LOT of wind Monday), got my first cab by myself, AND managed to find my way around the suburb where I was on foot due to no car. My boss met me there 2 days later and drove me home yesterday. It was a great Summit and now I'm glad that I got home last night. I missed my boys terribly!

C Dude- C will be competeing in a "Cutest Little Firecracker" contest tonight. He's one of 2 in his age group and one of 4 boys overall, so that odds are good that he will win his division and possibly even the overall title of "2012 Little Mr. Firecracker". My mom and I have made his costume completely from "scratch". I will share pictures this weekend after the contest. I literally made him a firecracker outfit. It's pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

Gram- Well her wound isn't healing because she won't eat, so she now has a Wound-Vac on her abdomen to heal her incision. She's really not progressing like she needs to be, but hopefully she turns around for the better soon

I think that about wraps up my week for now. I need to get in gear and get ready for tonight's contest and my weekend of craziness. Hopefully my next post is of my own "Little Mr. Firecracker. :)

6 years...

Today is another special day in the N household. Today marks 6 years of my dear hubs and I being married! In honor of our anniversary, I am dedicating this post to the story of us, hang in there, I will try to make it as short and painless as possible :)

Tuesday, April 16th, 2002
---I was a senior in high school. I wasn't usually allowed to go out on school nights at this point. Anyways, I had gotten a phone call from Chris that afternoon asking me if I wanted to go to the Sugar Ray concert in Decatur (a nearby town) that night. I was hesitant to agree, I wasn't allowed out on school nights AND this would be our first date. We had never met face to face up til this point. I asked mom and dad, and they said I COULD GO as long as Chris came by the house to meet them before we left for the concert. I met Chris at the local McD's and he followed me to our house, then we were off. The concert was great, we had an awesome time. We got home at 11:30, but the date wasn't over yet. We stayed on the front steps talking until 1am!

May 11, 2002
---My senior prom...I asked Chris to be my date for prom literally 3 days before prom! He showed up, I met his parents for the first time, and we were off to a fun filled night! Prom was great, post prom was a blast, then we were home to sleep (in separate rooms) for 3 hours.


Now after graduation 3 weeks later, I went to work full time as a CNA. We saw each other on weekends off, and whenever he would bring me supper at work....yes he drove 30 miles, to bring ME lunch for my 30 minute break. That fall I started nursing school, and we still were going stong.

-----FAST FORWARD 3 YEARS-----

May 6, 2005
---Chris and I went to Chicago for a concert...U2 to be exact. It was our first time away from home overnight, together, without parental supervision. We walked along Navy Pier, ate at Bubba Gump's Shrimp, then decided to ride the infamous Ferris Wheel. I had begged all night to go on it and Chris held out on me. Finally we did. They took our picture right before boarding...I will have to find it Chris looked scared to death! We got on, got up to the top as the sun was setting, and Chris got out of his seat....scared me to death! He gets down on one knee, pulls something out of his pocket and proposed! Totally not expected, and totally not like him to be all romantic. Of course I said YES!

June 17th, 2006

At 3:30 in the afternoon, we were married.  In the church I grew up in. Where I was baptized and confirmed.

And now today we celebrate 6 years of wedded bliss. It may not have always been perfect love. It may not have been easy. But we have survived and have this to show for it!

Happy Birthday Chris!

29 years ago today, something big happened......

My husband was born!

On our 2nd cruise, September 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA BEAR!

(AKA Chris, daddy, hubs...you get the point, haha)

Friday Free For All

Well, we made it to Friday again, so let's recap the week.

Blog- This week I got my first follower on the blog (thanks Mrs. Monologues!) Within 24 hours of her "following" me, I was up to7 followers! I am so thankful for her "Blog Star" link up. It has helped me out a lot so far :)

Relay- Tonight is the local American Cancer Society Relay for Life. I relay for my Aunt, a breast cancer SURVIVOR! She's a big part of my life, and always has been. She's beat the beast, and tonight we walk for the 2nd year in a row to celebrate her life. I am still a little shy of my fundraising goal, but hoping to get there by tonight! (Click here to donate if you'd like! Becky's Relay for Life)

Lil Man- His behavior has improved this week, but still struggling at the babysitter's. Hopefully it gets even better soon!

Gram- She's in the nursing home, not doing too good, but not terrible either. We are still hoping for continued improvement and that she will be home soon.

Weekend Plans- This is a very busy weekend for us. Tomorrow my husband, Chris, turns 29. Sunday is not only Father's day, but it is our 6th wedding anniversary.  We will be going out of town together tomorrow evening for a nice dinner alone and of course, some gambling on the mighty Mississippi

Work- Work was good this week. Not too busy and not too slow. Next week I go to Chicago for 3 1/2 days for work...no hubs, no son....just mommy time!


How was your week? Any big plans for the weekend?

Meet Cdude

Cdude or Cman are the names we have lovingly called our son, C., since just a few days after his birth on July 16, 2008.

Fresh out of mommy's tummy!

Cman came into the world in a big way. Labor and delivery was extremely rough (I'll spare you details but say this, I have to have surgery when he was 10 months old to repair things "down there"). He came into our world a blue, bruised, 8lb 10 oz, 23 in., little boy. He came home like any normal newborn would, at 2 days old, then we ended up back in the hospital 2 days later. (His bruising caused extreme jaundice.) After we got all that straightened out, he was great! Back to his name....C man became "Cman" or "Cdude" when he was a few days old because he has a cousin that was born literally 2 days before him name E. They got to "meet" for the first time at just 9 days old. Keeping them straight and saying their names all the time got confusing (even though they look nothing alike!) So thus we have Cdude & E man. Over time it has became Cman & Eman. They may live 4 hours apart, but they are best friends!

Happy lil man at 6 weeks!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Cman and mommy eating with Elmo...His 3rd Birthday surprise vacation!

Fast Forward almost 4 years.....Cdude has had 2 hospitalization, and 3 surgeries, but is your typical little boy.  He loves playing in the dirt, monster trucks, airplanes, Thomas the Train, and all the typical boy things. He says he wants to be a firefighter, a mail carrier, and a nurse (like mommy), when he grows up. Cman has some OCD tendencies and is a very anxious child, but we wouldn't trade him for the world. He currently can be found terrorizing his mother, babysitter, or MeMe, as he is on summer break from Pre-K. He loves fruit and steak (I know not normal for a child!).  His favorite thing in the world is his Elmo blankie...its a red fuzzy blanket he named Elmo when he was a year old, haha! He loves to go geocaching (bet you google what it is!), play outside, and pretend to be a firefighter.

My little man, March 2012 (age 3 1/2)

Hard to believe we've had this lil man in our lives for almost 4 years! Where does the time go?!

Blog Star: Hi I'm The Midwest Cornfed Mom

      Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm Becky, The Midwest Cornfed Mom. I am a newbie to blogging, but having a great time learning the Ins & Outs of the blog world. Here at The Midwest Cornfed Mom, you will find stories of living in central Illinois (all my life!), trying to raise a little boy, care for our 3 pets, and maintain a happy marraige, all while working full time.  Growing up in the same small town my entire life, surrounded by corn and bean fields, land locked in central Illinois has lead to many stories and adventures. Who am I kidding? It still does every week!

Hubs Graduation May 2011, Very proud wife moment!

More about me:

As I said, my name is Becky. I am 28 year old mother of a wonderful almost 4 year old boy, who we call C dude. I'll post another time about his nickname. I have been with my husband for 10 years and married for 6 years as of this coming Sunday! We've had our ups and downs, but it's made us stronger and brought us to where we are today. In our small little home, we have a Himalayan, named Sassy, a Beagle/Dachsund mix, named Daisy, and a beta fish named Frank. Never a dull moment with animals who hate each other!  I grew up on mama's home cookin'....meat, potato, vegetable at every meal, and try to pass that on to my child. Thus, I am a midwest, cornfed mama!

I am a nurse by day, and a mother and nurse by night, struggling to find balance in the Midwest.
It's not always easy, or pretty, but I try to make the best of it!

 I hope you will join my on my blog and be part of my journey to blog more, learn from others, and share my stories of life


<a href="http://www.mrsmonologues.com/%22%3E%3Cimg src="http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/mrsmonologues/d163f6eb.jpg%22%3E%3C/a>

Friday Free For All

Garage Sale: My mother and I are having a garage sale today and tomorrow. It has forced me to go through our house and purge (see point #3). I am hoping to make enough money to buy our son a new bed since he's almost 4 and nearly outgrown his current toddler bed.

Work: I had a review yesterday...like the kind that determines the funding for part of my job type of review. It went fantastic and I'm not really sure why I was freaking out over it this week. I am looking forward to the fact that I have one week of work then get to go out of town for 4 days for work. It will be nice to get away, except I am leaving hubs and lil man at home :(

Purging: How does one household of 3 accumulate so. much. stuff!? Seriously. I have 6 totes of baby/toddler clothes and shoes, 2 boxes/totes of adult clothes, approx. 50 adult clothes on hangers, lots of toys, baby gear, a lamp, golf clubs, a book shelf, and much much more that I have pulled out of this house in the last week for this garage sale.

Terrible 3's?: Lil man's behavior has been anything but stellar this week. He doesn't adjust well to change (that's a whole other post in its self!). I think this adjustment problem has something to do with it. There are 2 new kids at the sitters this week and I don't think he likes that. He had the sitter to himself (other than 1 baby that has been there for 8 months) for the past month and a half. He liked it that way. This week has been rough for all of us. He's been acting out, which is unusual for him :( He's also been threatening to hit us, screaming at us, and running away when talked to. I'm hoping this is a phase that ends VERY SOON! Hopefully its gone by the time he turns 4 in just over 5 weeks!

Gram: My gram's been battling quite a bit of illness for a while now (most recently had a bowel resection with colostomy placement). She's full of fluid and bed sores now. Not. Good. I am hoping that now that she is out of the hospital and back in a nursing home (for short term) that she will get moving and get the fluid off her body, and get off her butt so it can heal. She went to a different nursing home this time when she came "home" on Wednesday so that she can get her IV antibiotics. I hope she continues to improve. I want her up and running when the carnival/festival is in town in 4 weeks!

So there you have it. My week in recap. How was your week?

Our Saturday Fun

Yesterday we drove 3 1/2 hours, 205 miles,  to Rockford Airport. Why? For AirFest 2012...A huge airshow that my husband thought our son just HAD to go see. We got there around 10:20, which should be fine since the air displays didn't start until 11 right? Wrong! We waited 15 minutes to reach a parking lot, then waited another 30-40 in line for tickets to get in the gate, then 10 to get in the gate. Luckily, I had brought the stroller for Carson. He's 4, so he was not going to walk all day, and I sure wasn't carrying him all day either! He just chilled in his stroller while we stood on the hot asphalt, lol. Anyhow, we did see the first acts (for the most part) from the line. Once we were in, Carson was enthralled in it all. He loved the 9/11 Firetruck display, and of course, the dozens of airplanes that we could walk through. His favorite thing of the whole day was a tie between the jet powered school bus, and the Mig 17 fighter jet that "deployed bombs". He thought the bus out running a plane was hilarious. The "bomb" explosions made his eyes the widest I've ever seen them. He loved it! We stood and watched displays in the air throughout the day, then around 4pm it was time for the headliners....The US Air Force Thunderbirds.....WOW is all I can say! The things those pilots do are amazing. They are also VERY loud. I held Carson's ears for their performance and half way through it, he fell asleep! How does someone fall asleep during jets flying over at over 500mph?!? All in all, it was a great day with lots of sunshine and smiles. Enjoy our pictures from our day!

Inside a Cargo Plane

Captain Carson Preparing for Takeoff!

AirForce Thunderbirds (hard to get a good pic!)